Just Justice takes an in-depth look at second chances within the American justice system. Each episode will examine critical topics like wrongful convictions, sentencing reforms, reintegration challenges, and the transformative power of redemption. Through insightful conversations with experts, advocates, crime survivors, and individuals directly affected by the system, Henry aims to shed light on stories of resilience and reform, while calling for systemic changes to create a more just and equitable society.

Whether you are an advocate for change or simply curious about the issues, Just Justice promises to offer a powerful platform for understanding the importance of second chances in transforming lives and communities.

When asked why the podcast is particularly relevant now, Henry shared, “The time is ripe to talk about second chances. Second look legislation is being passed around the country… there is growing momentum to reconsider our expensive and overly punitive punishment system that particularly disfavors poor people and people of color.”

In the first episode of Just Justice, Henry speaks with Dr. Tarika Daftary-Kapur, a colleague and professor in Justice Studies, about the fate of juveniles sentenced to life without parole. Dr. Daftary-Kapur’s research explores the consequences of these harsh sentences, the developmental challenges children face, and the social science research that demonstrates their capacity for rehabilitation. The episode discusses the potential for reform and second chances for juveniles sentenced to life.

In a later episode, Henry speaks with Bobby Bostic, who was sentenced to 241 years in prison at age 16 for an armed robbery in Missouri, despite no one being seriously injured. Bobby shares his journey of transformation during 29 years of incarceration, where he pursued education, authored eight books, and ultimately found hope.

“It’s hard to explain how a man can find hope in a dark, negative environment such as prison, but everyday I found inspiration,” Bostic says in the podcast. “Everyday I found hope. And I lived on that and that’s what got me through.”

Bostic’s story is a compelling listen and highlights resilience, redemption, and the power of second chances.

The podcast is part of Henry’s larger mission to challenge the criminal legal system and offer a platform for voices calling for redemption, compassion, and systemic reform. It complements her upcoming book project, which delves even deeper into these issues.

“I believe that people are more than the worst thing they have ever done and that we do not need to forever punish someone for a singular crime, even a horrible one, without creating opportunities for them to show that they have fundamentally changed,” says Henry. “America is built on stories of redemption and transformation. Second chances are part of that American tradition.”

Join Jessica Henry as she opens the door to these crucial conversations and advocates for a more compassionate and fair justice system. You can find Just Justice on , and all major podcast platforms or you can visit the podcast website for more information.

This project builds on the successful efforts initiated in Fall 2023, where Dr. Kurze and his team began laying the groundwork for enhancing women’s participation in Guinea’s political sphere. Over the summer Dr. Kurze carried out a series of online seminars in preparation for the fall visit. The 2024 program will expand on these efforts, offering a series of comprehensive workshops designed to equip a cohort of 80-100 women with essential skills in negotiation, conflict resolution, resource management, and fundraising strategies.

Participants will also receive training in basic macroeconomic concepts, digital technology skills, and social media literacy. These skills are critical for newly elected representatives and public servants as they navigate the complexities of governance and public administration. The workshops will initially take place in the capital, Conakry, with subsequent sessions planned for various regions, including Maritime Guinea, Middle Guinea, Upper Guinea, and Forest Guinea.

A central element of the program is the “coach the coaches” initiative, where previously trained women leaders will mentor and train other members of their communities. This approach aims to ensure that the benefits of the program are widely disseminated across the country, promoting sustainable capacity building at different administrative levels.

The program addresses the persistent underrepresentation of women in political leadership in Guinea. Despite their proven leadership abilities, Guinean women face significant structural barriers, including discriminatory institutions and limited access to resources. By providing targeted training and resources, the program seeks to overcome these challenges and support women in their development as effective leaders.

La Guinéenne en Politique (LGP), a non-profit organization uniting female party members from across the political spectrum, will play a pivotal role in this initiative. LGP’s involvement ensures that the program is deeply rooted in Guinea’s political structures and that it contributes meaningfully to the ongoing efforts to promote participatory democracy in the country.

The $25,000 grant will be instrumental in expanding and deepening the initial efforts, allowing the program to reach and inspire more women as they pursue their political careers. This initiative represents a significant step toward achieving greater gender parity in Guinea’s political landscape and empowering women to become influential agents of change.

For more information about this program and to support this initiative reach out to Dr. Kurze’s at kurzea@montclair.edu.

Professor Henry has served as a public defender and regularly works as a legal commentator. As part of Governor Murphy’s initiative, she will review clemency applications and provide her insight and recommendations.

The board is the first of its kind in New Jersey and will pursue categorical clemency for prisoners with excessive sentences, victims of domestic or sexual violence and sex trafficking victims who are imprisoned for a committing a crime against their perpetrator, and more.

Read more

Written by Sarah Ramirez

The Chronicle of Higher Education cites Dr. Rubin’s interviews in which he discovers that though dynamic and pensive, there is a cynicism that restricts Gen Z students’ belief in their own potential.

explores the declining reading rates amongst Gen Z, focusing inside university classrooms and the effect on collegiate standards. The article points to Dr. Rubin’s findings on the development of “transactional” relationships between schools and students and discusses a variety of possible solutions.

Read more about Dr. Rubin’s research

Study: Gen Z Perceive Risk ‘Everywhere They Turn,’ Early Research Shows

Written by Sarah Ramirez

An ongoing study presented by Montclair Justice Studies Professor Gabriel Rubin at the 2023 Society for Risk Analysis Annual Conference examines the risk factors that have led to the current mental health crisis among young people.

To date, 50 in-depth interviews have been conducted with people who fall within Gen Z – Americans born between 1997 and 2012 – that have identified risk factors impacting the generation including mass shootings, school lockdown drills, parental pressure, social media and the climate crisis.

What the findings show

Gen Z perceives more dangers in life than previous generations and are fed with a constant stream of news alerts that overemphasize their threat level. They are presented with a world where risk is black and white: things are safe (safe spaces, e.g.) or contain dangerous risk.

Prior risk research has demonstrated that risk is not black and white – there are many risks in life and they can be weighed, yet Gen Z members view risk as either the presence or absence of safety in a situation.

This research has so far revealed that the disparity in risk assessment has led many young people to feel anxious, depressed and even suicidal – especially young girls and women.

“There’s this misperception that Gen Z have high incidences of anxiety and depression because they’re overly coddled or too sensitive,” Rubin says. “In the interviews I found that, in addition to the stigma around mental health eroding, Gen Z young people are faced with tremendous pressures and daily concerns that combine to paint a picture of a very dangerous world.”

Recommendations

There are five main prescriptions this study can contribute to mental health and risk assessment concerns with Gen Z:

• Curate social media so that the individual is not bombarded with imagery that is upsetting, disturbing or depressing.
• Teach that risk is not all-or-nothing.
• Address the core issues behind the feelings of risk that young people hold. Including young people in these efforts, through intergenerational coalitions, movements or actions, would benefit all Americans.
• Provide context to help with perceptions brought on by availability heuristic and probability neglect. Contextualizing tragedies and news items in media and social media will help people see where risks really lie.
• Stress the value of in-person community, especially in mental health campaigns.

“The root factors of the mental health crisis are very real,” Rubin emphasizes. “Young people feel that their rights to bodily autonomy have been taken away, that their schools are unsafe and that climate change will soon destroy the planet. We need to work together on these topics and not just look at mental health symptomatically.”

“Knowing what people understand about trafficking and, more importantly, what they don’t understand is an essential part of the antitrafficking movement,” said Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Academic Director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking. “The most significant space for assessing this is naturally the online space,” Peterka-Benton said.

Already, the partnership has produced significant results. In the first collaborative study between the two centers, a report on the dramatic increase in human trafficking misinformation on the X (formerly Twitter) was assessed. This surge occurred after Elon Musk boosted content supporting the debunked “#pizzagate” conspiracy. Foundational to the QAnon movement, Pizzagate references the belief that elites are kidnapping and trafficking children in a D.C. pizzeria. Utilizing the tools of the Strategic Communication Center, a 9,501.5% spike in Pizzagate posts was identified after Musk’s remarks. Working with the Global Center on Human Trafficking, this misinformation was contextualized to show how such false stories hinder needed support to help the real victims of human trafficking.

Particularly noteworthy about this initial partnership is that it was prominently featured in a . Additional media outlets have also linked and shared the study results from this partnership indicating that such a collaboration has immense potential to study and affect discourse about human trafficking.

“It’s an incredible start,” Peterka-Benton said, “especially as part of our work to create the first ever Human Trafficking Misinformation Network to study and share the dangerous misinformation that’s out there about trafficking.”

During the forum, she presented on the Coordinated Community Response, a theoretical model she has dedicated almost a decade to developing. Her presentation emphasized the importance of such a response, outlining its necessity and offering insights into its implementation to empower communities in addressing issues of violence. The audience included numerous mayors, ministers, grassroots organizations, etc.

The conversation was hosted by the and moderated by John Milewski, Director of Digital Programming at the Center. The book offers a “broad and multidisciplinary survey of global justice, bridging the gap between theory and practice while examining persistent international conflicts, increasing inequality in many regions or the world, and acute environmental and climate-related threats to humanity.”